Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, is highlighting clinical results that support the feasibility of proton Flash therapy. The findings were presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in San Antonio.
Results from FAST-01 (FeAsibility Study of Flash Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Symptomatic Bone Metastases) -- which was conducted at the Cincinnati Children's/University of Cincinnati Medical Center Proton Therapy Center -- were also released October 23 in JAMA Oncology and show that ultrahigh dose rate proton Flash therapy is feasible in a clinical setting, according to the firm.
The trial included 10 participants who underwent palliative Flash therapy for bone metastases in their extremities. A modified version of Varian's ProBeam particle accelerator delivered the entire radiation therapy dose in less than a second.
Eight of 12 sites of pain (67%) in the study participants showed pain relief, and six of the 12 sites had a complete response of no pain. There were no treatment-related technical issues or delays, and all adverse events were mild and "consistent with those expected from conventional radiotherapy," Varian said.
